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Mayan Culture, 2007.
A discussion of Mayan culture, including their art and religion.
2,807 words (approx. 11.2 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 83.95
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Abstract
This paper gives an overview of the ancient Mayan culture, with an emphasis on their art, religion and their daily lives. The author first examines the significance of the Mayan pyramids which still stand today. The pyramids are felt to give insights into the Mayan's religion and government. The paper continues by suggesting theories of why the Mayans disappeared. Despite the disappearance of ancient Mayans, the author suggests that cultural influences of the Mayans still exist in Central America today.
Outline:
Introduction-Who Were the Mayans?
The Case Against the Mayans
The Case for Mayan Culture
Conclusion
From the Paper
"As for what architecture tells us about the Mayan people, the creation of pyramids and temples that were as large and time-consuming as those created by the Mayans indicate a race of people who were strong, intelligent, and willing to work together for a common goal. Very likely, Mayans were interested in their collective society, as well as their own families, and they worshiped their King. Religion was extremely important to them, as has been mentioned. They used their pyramids and other structures as places to worship, and reverence to their gods was a vital part of their daily lives."
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Mayan Culture, 2006.
An overview of the history and culture of the Mayan Empire.
975 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper explores the cultural accomplishments and legacy of the Mayan Empire. The paper demonstrates how their system of higher mathematics and geometry allowed them to build palaces, public buildings, athletic arenas, monuments, pyramids, pottery, jewelry and other various art forms, all without the benefits of modern technology. The paper also examines the archaeological evidence left behind by the Mayan Empire, discussing their creation of whole cities based on stone technology, as well as discovered artifacts that demonstrate the Mayan's culture and cleverness. The paper concludes with a discussion of the legacy of the Mayan Empire and the continuing Mayan cultural presence in Latin America today.
From the Paper
"The Mayans kept time with a combination of several cycles that converged and marked the movement of the sun, the moon, and Venus. Archeologists believe the Mayans began to keep track of time on August 31, 3114 BC. The year 3114 BC is called the zero year and is comparable to January 1, 0000 AD. The Mayan calendar records time in 400 year cycles, which means that 13 cycles of 400 years will have passed before the next cycle begins on December 27, 2012 (1-0-0-0-0 in Mayan time). The Mayans realized there were cycles in the Cosmos. From this astronomical realization came instruments for reckoning time and a calendar that accurately measures the solar year to within minutes."
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Mayans, 2001.
This paper looks at the history of the Mayan culture.
2,125 words (approx. 8.5 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 66.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the field of archeology and how it has evolved over the years. The author uses Mayan culture as a case study in order to illustrate the advances that have been made in archeology over the centuries. A brief history of archeology in North America is given before detailing the process that the archaeologists used in uncovering the history of the Mayans. It discusses the tools the archaeologists have changed because of scientific advances, and how this has disproved many of the early theories about Mayan culture.
From the Paper
"Early excavators and scholars of Mayan life also determined that intimately linked to Mayan religion was the impressive development of astronomical studies ans mathematics, including the use of zero. Mayan astronomy underlay a complex calendrical system that featured an accurately determined solar year (18 months of 20 days, plus an unlucky 5-day period), a sacred year of 260 days (13 cycles of 20 named days), and a variety of longer cycles culminating in the Long Count, based on a zero date in 3114 BC. Mayan astronomers compiled precise tables of positions for the Moon and Venus and were able to predict solar eclipses."
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Mayan and Aztec Art History, 2002.
This paper offers a comparative analysis of the Mayan and Aztec cultures through examination of their art histories.
1,400 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 5 sources, $ 53.95
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Abstract
In this paper the writer discusses the Mayan and Aztec cultures in a comparative nature to reveal the similarities in their interrelation to each other. By understanding the connectedness of the two cultures, the writer shows why they are so closely related in their art. Further, the writer shows the way that they made their art for life and religion. The writer also demonstrates that through an understanding of the artistic history of these nations, there is a semblance of influence that can be found in both of them.
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The Mayan Scientists, 2004.
A discussion of the lost Mayan culture, science and religion.
1,435 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the Mayan civilization, which remains a mystery to today's scientists. The paper addresses questions, such as, how a civilization so primitive could manage to become such skillful mathematicians and scientists and why a group this advanced in their scientific studies would just pick up and leave without a trace. The paper also points out that the Mayas were a religious culture that put much emphasis on the study of many branches of science, especially astronomy. The paper concludes that this undeniably advanced civilization managed to blend both science and religion, keeping each in its place yet allowing them to work together, providing emotional fulfillment, intellectual development, and a better understanding of the universe that they lived in.
From the Paper
"Contrasting the views of many Western-Europeans, the Mayas incorporated religion into their astronomical discoveries. The Mayans believed that the planets were actually spirits and that time was "a bridge between the real world and the spirit world" (http://mayanastro.freeservers.com/mayan3.html) and to the Mayas, the only planet more important than the sun was the planet Venus, and they knew that planet, quite possibly, better than any other society of their time. Many wars were timed specifically in relation to the location of Jupiter and Venus and sacrifices to the Gods were made on the first day that the planet appeared after "Superior Conjunction," which is the time in which Venus, the Earth, and the Sun are aligned therefore blocking the view of Venus from Earth."
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The Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization, 2006.
This paper examines the numerous cultural attributes of the Mayan civilization while focusing on the reasons for its eventual collapse and disappearance.
740 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the disappearance of the Mayan civilization while focusing on the various theories surrounding its eventual collapse. The writer of this brief yet concise paper details the history of the Mayan culture which emerged in 2000 BC. The Mayan civilization gave birth to numerous cultural progresses such as the establishment of a writing system, an organized political council as well as the introduction of organized religion. This paper examines the theories surrounding the dispersal of the Mayan civilization, when at around 800 AD it was purported to have suddenly collapsed. There have been numerous arguments based on archaeological and anthropological evidence that attempted to explain the collapse of this particular civilization. This paper focuses on several theories which may explain the disappearance of the Mayan people which include climatic changes as well as socio-cultural collapse through the population's expansion.
From the Paper
"The theory that argued that a climatic collapse led to the disappearance of the Mayan civilization was based from scientific findings that were caused by a severe drought. As reported by History Today, "[d]rilling samples from the Cariaco Basin off the Venezuelan Coast show there were intensely dry periods between AD 810 and AD 910..." From this finding, it was found that because there had been scarce supply of the people's basic needs, such as water and food supply, Mayan society disappeared, supposedly due to deaths caused by these series of drought. A more specific version of this theory was presented in Kerr's journal article on the scientific evidence pointing at climate changes as the catalyst towards the disappearance of the civilization."
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The Mayan Civilization, 2005.
This paper discusses the history and culture of the Mayan civilization and its influence on today's Guatemalan life.
2,590 words (approx. 10.4 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 78.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the Mayans, primarily from the lowlands in the central regions of southern Guatemala, built incredibly sophisticated urban centers, created an astronomical science and mathematics among the most sophisticated in the pre-modern world and established the most developed and complex system of writing in the Americas. The author points out that, because the Mayan cities were used as religious centers for the surrounding rural population and not as a true urban culture, the decline of the cities after 900 A.D. did not involve a colossal social change. The paper relates that customs and traditions of the ancient Maya are still very much a part of the fabric of Guatemalan life, sharing a common ancestral heritage that is expressed in religion, music, dance, foods and social organization.
From the Paper
"Today, the Maya can be found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the five Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo. There are approximately thirty different indigenous Mayan languages, however, the majority of the Maya also speak Spanish. The present day Guatemalan Mayas have preserved much of their culture and religion. However, there can be found a mixture of Mayan and Western European traditions, an aspect most obvious in religious practices, in which the modern Maya have created their own brand of Christianity, a blend of Catholic tradition and ancient ritual."
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The Egyptian and Mayan Pyramids, 2006.
A paper comparing the similarities between the Egyptian and Mayan pyramids.
3,147 words (approx. 12.6 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 91.95
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Abstract
This paper examines and compares the pyramids of Egypt and those of the ancient Mayan culture, found in Mexico and parts of Central America. In an attempt to explain why these architectural legacies share so many striking similarities in spite of the thousands of years and geographical distances that separated the cultures that produced them, the paper considers what was important to the two civilizations and what it was that they were they trying to accomplish by building these complex and enormous structures.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Egyptians
The Mayans
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Half a world and three thousand years apart, two ancient civilizations built a series of remarkably similar structures shaped like and known as pyramids - or The Pyramids to us latecomers. The Egyptians built theirs in the twenty-sixth century b.c., or earlier, a short distance inland from the west bank of the Nile River; to date, eighty are known to exist. Built between 250 and 800 a.d., the dozen or so Mayan pyramids excavated thus far are located in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala and elsewhere in Central America. The biggest, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, at Giza in Egypt, was originally built to a height of 481 feet (though the top thirty feet have simply disintegrated over time) and was for more than four thousand years the largest man-made structure ever assembled. The Mayan pyramids are somewhat smaller, but imposing nonetheless."
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The Greek, Roman, and Mayan Religions, 2004.
This paper discusses why the Greek, Roman, and Mayan worlds are of prime interest to Western civilization.
880 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the Greek, Roman, and Mayan worlds are of prime interest because of their influence upon the cultural and societal aspects of the civilizations that followed them. The author points out that the Mayan religion has greatly influenced Western thought and culture, although not as predominant as the Greek and Roman systems, because of its perceived origins in a traditional non-Western setting. The paper relates that the Mayan pantheon was very complex. Heaven and Hell were not considered either as reward or punishment for behavior on earth; rather, they were the after-life abodes natural to different classes of people, for one passed on to the sphere appropriate to one?s class and occupation.
From the Paper
"Culturally, the Greek ?polis? or city-state was presided over by a particular god as protector and patron, such as Athena for the city of Athens. Different communities could choose the same deity as their protector; Sparta, for example, also had Athena as its patron god. The members of the ?polis? constituted a religious association obliged to honor the state?s patron deity as well as the community?s other gods. Thus, the central ritual of a ?polis? was the sacrifice of animals to demonstrate to the gods as divine protectors the respect and piety of the members of the ?polis.?"
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Egyptian and Mayan Writing, 2004.
This paper discusses the history of Egyptian and Mayan writing.
1,740 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 18 sources, MLA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the Egyptian language is one of the first languages to be put into written form by using hieroglyphics, a system that used symbolic pictures. The author points out that the ancient writing systems of Mesoamerica can be traced back to the cliff paintings by North American Indians in the desert Southwest. These are known as petroglyphs because they are written on stone. The paper relates that the Mayan languages were lost due to the European invasions, and early Egyptian writing was absorbed into Coptic and replaced by Arabic.
Table of Contents
Egyptian Writing
Mesoamerica (MAYA)
Development of scripts. Egyptian
Development of Scripts. Mayan
Why Are Those Two Written Languages Not in Use Anymore?
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Recently, Egyptian writing dating to 3,300 B.C. has been discovered. A German archaeologist has claimed that he has found what could be the earliest known human writing - records of linen and oil deliveries made about 5,300 years ago during the reign of a King named Scorpion in Southern Egypt. The discovery throws open for debate a widely held belief among historians that the first people to write were the Sumerians of the Mesopotamian civilization sometime before 3,000 B.C.."
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Mayan Civilization, 2002.
This paper compares Mayan civilization with ancient Mediterranean civilizations.
650 words (approx. 2.6 pages), 3 sources, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the ancient Mayans, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.
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Myths and Religion the Ancient Mayan Civilization, 1999.
A look at the Mayan myths, symbols, and rituals that offer a definition for the nature of the known and unknown world, the origin of humanity, and the purpose of human life on earth.
2,780 words (approx. 11.1 pages), 6 sources, $ 82.95
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From the Paper
"The world of myth, symbolism, and ritual is a world of metaphor that explains the human story. It is a story of the relationship between the known aspects of the natural world and the unknown dimensions of that same natural world. The known aspects of the natural world are the ones that humans have immediate contact with. These known aspects encompass the sense-related and material realities of the surrounding environment. Included in this known world is the landscape, the vegetation, the animals, and the human inhabitants of the region. The unknown aspects of the natural world are the ones that lie within the scope of the human senses but do not originate in the immediate and material world. ...."
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Michael Coe's Book on Ancient Mayan Civilization "The Maya", 1999.
Examines Michael Coe's book "The Maya" which pulls together the available data from many different fields of study to produce a comprehensive survey that sheds new light on the beginnings and eventual decline of the ancient Mayan civilization.
2,160 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 3 sources, $ 67.95
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From the Paper
"By using new and updated material from the archaeological field, combined with the recent studies done in the field of linguistics, Coe has been able to create a plausible 'history' of the Maya people, while at the same time creating a new model that portrays a very complex social and economic system not believed to have existed in earlier research. Coe's revised edition also dispels the notion that the complex centers were primarily used for religious or priestly functions. Coe instead sees these centers as also being the hub for politics, trade, and social functions. Added to this history are the artistic forms expressed in the Maya Murals, burial sites, architecture, ceramics, clothing and dated monumnts, all of which gives insight as well as documentation to the lives and movements of the humans that inhabited the many areas of Mesoamerica as early as eleven to fourteen thousand years ago. By tracing the various art forms displayed on these archaeological items along with the decipherable hieroglyphic writings, Coe has been able to offer a realistic progression of the Maya civilization through its Pre-Classic, Classic, and Post-Classic eras. Included in this progression is the outside influences of different languages and styles of artistic expression, whether these influences came through the process of trade, exchange, or war. But before Coe examines these three stages of Maya development, he first explores the possible human lifestyle prior to these stages, thus setting the stage for the development of the obvious and intricate architecture that is found in Mesoamerica today."
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Mayan Bloodletting, 2002.
An insight into bloodletting, or drawing blood from one?s body in search of a higher spiritual existence in the Maya civilization.
2,222 words (approx. 8.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 69.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the ritual of bloodletting which was prevelant in the Mayan civilization, an ancient native American culture that dates back to AD 300 to 900. It examines how each major event in the lives of the Mayan people was sanctified by their self-mutilation. Bloodletting was used to commemorate temples being dedicated, crops being planted, babies being born and marriages being consecrated. It shows how through its beginning, its peak, and its ruin, bloodletting was something done in reverence for their gods and done out of respect for their religious beliefs and how it was not a savage, destructive ritual, but a meaningful one.
From the Paper
"Maya communities exist today, and they still believe their lives and destinies are tied directly into their family, kin, community and to the supernatural world of their gods (Sharer 128-130). Each important step in their lives is still marked by elaborate and sacred rituals, as they were in ancient times (Sharer 129). While the nuclear family is still the heart of their foundation ? that is the man, his wife, and their children ? Mayan families have always included the more extended version of family. Their social groupings are based on their lineage ? depending on what male has been born into what family. While government has changed now, in the past, political offices were passed from father to son, brother to brother, and so forth."
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The Olmecs And The Mayan, 2002.
Compares these two ancient South American civilizations.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 3 sources, $ 44.95
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Abstract
This paper will contrast and compare the Olmec and Mayan Civilizations. By showing their similarities and differing qualities, I will prove their improvements and set-backs in the realm of history.
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